1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner capable of moving a cleaner body by assisting a user, a handle of the vacuum cleaner, and a method of controlling the cleaner, and more particularly, a vacuum cleaner capable of moving a cleaner body by facilitating a user's operation.
2. Background
Generally, a vacuum cleaner is an apparatus that sucks dust, foreign substances and the like existing on a surface to be cleaned by using a suction motor provided inside a main body, and then filters the dust and foreign substances within the main body.
In recent years, a battery is mounted in the vacuum cleaner to supply power to the cleaner, such that a cleaning function can be executed even in a state where the cleaner is not connected to an external power source through a power line. In addition, the vacuum cleaner may include a driving unit (or drive assembly) that generates driving force by receiving power from the battery, and a controller of the vacuum cleaner may perform autonomous travel by controlling the driving unit according to a preset algorithm.
The vacuum cleaner may be classified into an upright type vacuum cleaner in which a suction nozzle is connected to a main body and moves together with a main body, and a canister type vacuum cleaner in which a suction nozzle is connected to a main body through an extension pipe, a handle, a hose, or the like.
Of the two types of vacuum cleaners, the upright type vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner main body in which a suction motor for generating suction force and the like are disposed, a suction nozzle for sucking dust, foreign substances and the like, which are present on a surface to be cleaned, into the main body by the suction force generated in the suction motor, a handle provided on a top of the main body to be gripped by a user such that the suction nozzle moves along the surface to be cleaned, and the like.
That is, when power is applied to the main body and the suction motor is driven, suction force is generated, and air containing dust and foreign substances scattered on the surface to be cleaned is sucked into the suction nozzle by the suction force.
The air containing the dust, the foreign substances, and the like flows into the main body, and the dust, the foreign substances, and the like are separated from the air into a dust collecting container mounted in the main body by a cyclone principle.
The separated dust, foreign substances, and the like are collected in the dust collecting container, and the separated air is discharged to outside of the main body through an air discharge port.
Since such vacuum cleaner is moved only by the user's force, the user's fatigue is caused when friction against the surface to be cleaned or a load of the cleaner is great while the user cleans the surface with moving the cleaner.
In particular, the upright type vacuum cleaner has a relatively heavy weight as compared with other types of vacuum cleaners, which causes user's inconvenience in using the upright type vacuum cleaner.
In order to solve such problems, the typical upright type vacuum cleaner may be provided with wheels which are rotated in response to physical force applied by the user.
However, there is a problem that it is difficult to smoothly move the vacuum cleaner in a user-desired direction merely by employing the wheels which are passively rotated.
That is, in case of a vacuum cleaner having only passively-rotating wheels, when the user applies physical force to the vacuum cleaner in a specific direction, the wheels are rotated merely in response to the applied physical force, and any separate driving force for supplementing the user's physical force is not applied. Accordingly, when the user moves the upright type cleaner having only the passively-rotating wheels, the user cannot easily move the heavy main body of the cleaner.
The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.